wake me up when it's over
by chalantness
Summary: He technically hasn't been alone since the nogitsune possessed him, but that spirit is gone and he when wakes up, he realizes he still isn't alone and probably won't be anymore, ever. And it's the most comforting thing he's felt in a long, long time.


**Title:** _wake me up when it's over  
_**Rating:** PG-13  
**Word Count:** ~1,300  
**Characters:** Stiles/Malia and a little bit of everyone else at the end  
**Summary:** He technically hasn't been alone since the nogitsune possessed him, but that spirit is gone and he when wakes up, he realizes he still isn't alone and probably won't be anymore, _ever_. And it's the most comforting thing he's felt in a long, long time.

**wake me up when it's over**

When he finally gets his first, _real_ good night's sleep – in his own bed with his pillow and everything as it should be – he's not alone. Well, he technically hasn't been alone since the nogitsune possessed him, but that spirit is gone and he when wakes up, he realizes he still isn't alone and probably won't be anymore, _ever_.

And it's the most comforting thing he's felt in a long, long time.

He wakes up to find his friends literally surrounding him and he has to blink a few times until his blurry vision comes into focus and he realizes that, no, he isn't imagining this. His friends are actually in his room, passed out on his floor in a mess of blankets and pillows, which is actually impressive considering his room is small and there's no way for all of them to fit comfortably. But they're all here – Allison, Lydia and Kira on an air mattress Stiles knows he's used maybe twice, with Isaac and Scott passed out on the floor on either sides of the mattress and the twins slumped in chairs in opposite corners of the room. And waking up to them (yes, strangely even to Ethan and Aiden) is the safest Stiles has felt in weeks.

As he moves to sit up, though, he realizes there's someone passed out at the other end of his bed.

Malia.

She's curled together with her hair in her face, but he recognizes her instantly. Plus, she's probably the only other girl he knows that actually might not mind being with him in his room, especially with this group of people.

He doesn't want to wake her up, but just as he's trying to figure out how he's actually going to get out of bed without doing so, she begins to stir.

She lets out a soft noise, pushing her fingers through her hair to move it from her face, and he feels his lips tug into a smile as he watches her long eyelashes flutter, blinking awake and then squinting against all of the sunlight filling the room. It's at least the middle of the morning, if not later, considering how bright it is outside his windows.

She tilts her head to look up at him and smiles when she sees he's awake.

"Hey," she whispers.

"Hey," he whispers back, and he thinks that sounds lame, but she just smiles a little wider.

He watches as her hair tumbles over her shoulder in curls as she sits up and wonders how he managed to wake up to a girl this beautiful in his bed. He reaches for her, shifting closer to the wall to make room, and she crawls up beside him and smiles cutely as she tucks her legs underneath his covers.

"How're you feeling?" she asks in a hushed voice.

He shrugs a little. "Better," he answers, letting out a laugh for some reason. "I definitely feel better." She nods, moving her hand over his arm. "So, why's… why did—"

"Why did everyone sleep over?" He nods. "Everyone's been worried about you, Stiles. They just got you back. Do you really think they're going to leave your side anytime soon?"

"Oh."

He looks around the room, and his eyes sting with tears almost instantly as his gaze lands on Scott. He's asleep on his side, he and Kira facing each other, an arm tucked underneath his head and the other draped over Kira's waist. The scene makes Stiles smile. He wishes he'd been able to pay more attention to his best friend crushing on Kira. They're cute and while Stiles doesn't know any details, he knows they're kind of really serious but still taking things slowly—so good for them. Lydia's curled into Allison's side and Allison has a hand in Isaac's (are they official now? he'll ask Lydia about it later), and Ethan and Aiden are slouched in their chairs, arms crossed, flanking the door as if they'd been on guard or something.

A tear rolls down his cheek and Malia reaches up and wipes it away with the pad of her thumb, tilting her head as she smiles.

"Sorry," he breathes out on a laugh.

She furrows her eyebrows. "Why are you apologizing?"

"I… don't know." She giggles a bit and he swears it's probably the prettiest thing he's ever heard. "So, um, did Scott… you know, teach you how to shift?"

"Yeah, he did—well, him and Derek." There's something to the way she says Derek's name. He furrows his eyebrows and, as if hearing his thoughts, she adds, "We're apparently cousins. According to Lydia, at least, but I've caught on that she's generally always right, so…" Malia shakes her head, laughing a little. "My dad is someone named Peter."

His stomach flips.

"Your dad's Peter… as in, Peter _Hale?_" It's a stupid question, he knows—if Derek's her cousin then obviously she has to be a Hale—but _still_. "Are you serious?"

She shrugs her shoulders as if she honestly still isn't too sure herself. "Everyone says it in that exact same way."

Stiles shifts, suddenly uncomfortable. "Well, your dad's done some… _stuff_, to us—bad stuff." His eyes widen and he adds, "That's not to say you—"

"I know, Stiles," she laughs. "Everyone filled me in on the stuff he's been up to. But… I don't know." He runs a hand over her back and she leans against him, sighing. "I'd like to believe that Peter being my biological dad doesn't mean anything. It's not like he raised me, you know? But, I mean, it _does_ change things and I don't really know what to think."

He nods in understanding, though his mind is kind of wild and he can't stop himself in time from murmuring, "I can't believe I had sex with a Hale… and _Peter's_ daughter."

"Do you regret it?"

Her voice is so soft that he thinks he imagines it at first, but then he blurts out, "No! _God_, no, of course not, but—I mean, can you imagine how they'll treat me? Your family's intimidating and Hales tend not to warm up to me so quickly." Then he gets this grin on his face. "Oh, my god, everything about you just became so unbelievably clear."

He's _teasing_ (well, mostly) and Malia scoffs out a laugh, swatting playfully at his side, and for whatever reason, it sends them into hysterics.

He can't remember the last time he laughed this hard.

And of course they wake everyone up, but they don't seem to mind. Scott's the first one to hug him, and the room's totally quiet and more than the two of them are crying, but no one points it out or actually says anything about it. The girls hug him after, with Allison kissing his forehead and Lydia letting out a relieved breath as she squeezes tightly and even Kira's hug is comforting even though he's admittedly not very familiar with the girl. Then Isaac sort of pats his back before relenting and giving him a quick hug, too, and Ethan nods while Aiden says, "You know, we're actually kind of glad you made it through this alive, Stilinski," and they all laugh because he actually means it and that's kind of a trip for everyone.

He finds that Melissa, Derek and Chris are downstairs with his dad – when they, you know, actually leave his room – and he sort of crumples into his dad's arms the second he's got them around him. Chris actually hugs him, too, and Derek pats his back and Melissa cries and kisses the top of his head and hugs him tightly.

They make a mess in the kitchen while making breakfast, and he sits between Malia and Scott on the couch while they eat, and the loudness of utensils scraping against plates and everyone talking over each other is the most soothing thing he's heard in a long, long time.


End file.
